JBY: Deniability
by Pixie3
Summary: The morning after the ambassadorial reception... sequel to "Jealousy Becomes You"


Rating: G  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just like to play with them for a little  
while and then return them relatively unharmed. I make no money off  
writing this, so no point in suing me! :)  
  
Feedback: Please! I love it!  
  
Archive: Sure, just ask first please! It'll also be available on  
http://www.pixies-bookshelf.com/fic/pfa.asp.  
  
Summary: The morning after the ambassadorial reception...  
  
Spoilers: "The Drop In", sequel to "Jealousy Becomes You" (aka JBY)  
  
Notes: Felt the urge to continue where I left off, so this is where this  
one comes in. Thanks to Kelly for betaing...:)  
  
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Josh sat down in his chair, slouching and holding his head in his  
hands. It had not been a good night. He had consumed way too many  
glasses of champagne at the reception, and he blamed it on Donna. She  
hadn't been there to stop him. Okay, she had been there, just not beside  
him at every moment to remind him of his 'delicate system' and take the  
glass out of his hand. Instead she had been flirting shamelessly with  
the new British ambassador. Not that he was jealous.  
  
No, he was far from jealous, he repeated to himself frequently,  
despite what the Sisterhood thought. He was just watching out for his  
friend. He knew that Marbury was a whack job. Last thing he needed to  
worry about was Donna running around after him, all moony and possibly  
getting herself in trouble.  
  
"Rough night?" came Sam's voice from the doorway.   
  
Josh looked up and nodded to Sam as the man entered the room, seating  
himself in the visitor's chair.  
  
"Yeah, too much champagne."  
  
"You really are a lightweight, my friend," the speechwriter joked,  
chuckling.  
  
Josh pretended to ignore his comment. "Where were you last night?"  
  
"Had to get out, got tired of people pulling rank on me and not even  
bothering to inform me until it was too late."  
  
Josh gave Sam a sympathetic look. "Speech went that well, eh?"  
  
"Let's just say that I looked like something of an idiot, to be  
polite."  
  
"Youch. I guess being labelled 'jealous' falls short of 'idiot'."  
  
Sam's expression turned from sour to intrigued. "Who was calling you  
jealous?" he asked, happy to veer the subject away from himself.  
  
"The Sisterhood," Josh replied. When Sam looked confused, he nodded in  
the direction of the bullpen.   
  
Sam turned in his seat to see Donna sit down at her desk, CJ stopping  
beside it. The two women began talking and Sam turned around to face  
Josh again.  
  
"Well you can be, at times."  
  
Josh looked at Sam in surprise. "What!?"  
  
"Come on! Whenever Donna has a date, you get all worked up and the  
word 'gomer' reenters your speech at regular intervals. You're jealous  
of any man she shows interest in. You've just been smart enough not to  
do anything more than that."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"You know as well as I do the seven levels of hell the press would put  
us all through if anything were to happen between you two and it became  
public. Who am I kidding, *Leo* would put you through his own version of  
that first if you two did anything about your attraction."  
  
Josh sat back in his chair, stunned at Sam's words.  
  
"Are you saying that Donna...?"  
  
Sam stood up, shrugging. "I can't speak for her, just reading the  
subtext." He grinned mischievously and left the office.  
  
Josh sat there for a few minutes, letting his friend's words sink in.   
  
He went to call Donna in to his office, but when he looked to the  
door, she was standing right there. She had a glass of water and a  
bottle of aspirin in her hands.  
  
"I wasn't sure if you wanted to be bothered.."  
  
"No, come in. I was just about to call you."  
  
"You mean yell for me," she teased, walking in and putting the glass  
and bottle on the desk beside him. She propped her hand on the desk  
while he swallowed the aspirin and chased it with the water.  
  
"Thanks. But I don't yell," he replied, his expression mock serious.  
  
"Oh, that's right, you bellow." Her eyes sparkled with amusement as  
she picked up the bottle, turning and walking away.   
  
Josh found himself watching her for a moment, then shook his head.  
"You have fun last night?"  
  
Donna stopped at the door, turning to face him and leaning against the  
doorjamb. She smiled widely. "Yeah."  
  
"Good. Just, don't, you know get too attached to anyone."  
  
The blonde made a face. "Josh," she said, her tone warning.  
  
"I'm just saying..you never know.."  
  
"Never know what?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips again.  
  
Josh simply smiled mysteriously, then looked down at the papers in  
front of him. He heard Donna's heels clicking on the floor as she headed  
for her desk. He then realized that he hadn't asked her for the file he  
needed.  
  
"Donna!" he yelled.  
  
"It's on your desk, left hand side, under your newspaper," she yelled  
back from her desk.  
  
Josh moved the paper to find the exact file folder he needed. He  
smiled widely. She knew him so well.   
  
At that thought his smile faltered slightly as he felt a nervous surge  
in his stomach. If she knew him that well, then maybe...  
  
He shook his head. No, he was *not* jealous.  
  
THE END 


End file.
